Is making a lot of money legit?

Is it legitimate to pursue making a lot of money as an end in itself? No.

However, note the above says the love of money is the problem, not money itself.

If we diligently pursue doing things with excellence for the glory of God it is absolutely not only legitimate to be as productive and fruitful as possible but what we are called to do. 

From the beginning and throughout the New Testament, God's mandate to humanity was to be fruitful and multiply i.e. bear much fruit. This honors God.

This may result in financial success (and sometimes does, particularly if God gave you the temperament and skills to be an effective business person). But it's not automatically a guarantee. 

Since making money is not the focus (though it can clearly be a legitimate measuring stick of success under the right conditions), but the pursuit of excellence for Christ's sake is, do everything - including "business" - for God's honor (glory) regardless of whether we see a significant financial reward or not. 

We should always strive for excellence and never back off being as fruitful as possible. That is not necessarily just biologically but spiritually and materially. Doing things with excellence has more to do with effort and intent than outcome. Backing off from doing all things for God's glory is not optional. Honoring God in all we say and do is the calling of every believer.
 

What about our skills?

What if our skills and abilities, energy, stamina, strength, and mental sharpness have considerably dropped off with age or for some other reason such as overall health or injury? Is this a legitimate reason to slow down? 

Because money is not the final measuring stick of a legitimate endeavor but intent to honor God is, we are still to pursue things with excellence regardless of our skills i.e. being excellent for Christ's sake always remains the ¹same even though our abilities change over time (some for better - like increased wisdom through increased life experience - and some for worse, like declining physical and mental stamina). 

Doing everything with excellence for the glory of God should ²always be our goal and modus operandi regardless of the resources or skills we may or may not have; whether those resources change, decline, or increase.

What about excellence vs doing just enough to "get by?"

Excellence in the marketplace in contrast to the lack of excellence provides a greater opportunity to put God on display; to demonstrate that living for God is a more excellent and productive way than not living for him. 

This is exactly why Joseph excelled in every circumstance he found himself in and was entrusted to oversee things wherever he went. He was eventually promoted to second in command in Egypt, probably the greatest nation in the world. This led to great prosperity and the saving of many lives, including his own family. 

Truly knowing and living for God makes us more productive, resourceful, and excellent, resulting in greater honor to God and service to fellow bearers of God's image.

Excellence in attitude.

We are not only to be excellent in our effort but excellent in attitude e.g. humble, diligent, caring, etc. which usually, though not automatically, leads to an excellent outcome. In fact the right attitude leads to the right outcome. Therefore, knowing God is more excellent in the work environment (or any area of endeavor) than not knowing Him.  It is the superior way of living life. 

But we must distinguish between truly knowing God versus knowing about God. They are not the same. 

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Ecc 9:10  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. 

Col 3:23  Whatever you do G4160, work G2038b heartily G5590, as for the Lord and not for men, 

Do – G4160

ποιέω - poieō - poy-eh'-o

Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct): - abide, + agree, appoint, X avenge, + band together, be, bear, + bewray, bring (forth), cast out, cause, commit, + content, continue, deal, + without any delay, (would) do (-ing), execute, exercise, fulfil, gain, give, have, hold, X journeying, keep, + lay wait, + lighten the ship, make, X mean, + none of these things move me, observe, ordain, perform, provide, + have purged, purpose, put, + raising up, X secure, shew, X shoot out, spend, take, tarry, + transgress the law, work, yield. Compare G4238.

Work – G2038b

ἐργάζομαι - ergazomai; from G2041; to work, labor: — accomplish (1), accomplished (1), accomplishing (1), achieve (1), committing (1), do (1), do...work (1), does (3), doing (1), doing...work (1), done (2), make...living (1), perform (4), performed (1), performing (1), practice (1), produces (1), traded (1), work (9), work be done (1), work do...perform (1), working (7), works (1), wrought (1).

Heartily – G5590

ψυχή - psuchē; of unc. or.; breath, the soul: — heart (2), heartily (1), life (36), lives (7), mind (1), minds (1), person (1), persons (3), soul (33), souls (14), suspense *(1), thing (1).

From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: - heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

Thayer Definition:

1) breath

1a) the breath of life

1a1) the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing

1a1a) of animals

1a1b) of men

1b) life

1c) that in which there is life

1c1) a living being, a living soul

2) the soul

2a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)

2b) the (human) soul in so far as the right use of the aids constituted it that offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life

2c) the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body) i.e. put your heart into it. Do it with passion, spirit, and energy.

As a believer in business for over 40 years, I have wrestled with what is legitimate and what is questionable in "doing business." 

The following links are some conclusions I have come to so far, based on scripture first and my own experience, failures, struggles, and successes. 

For those who have wrestled with these same things, I trust you will find the below helpful. 

For a further discussion on excellence click here. 

For a discussion on sowing and reaping click here. 

For a discussion on legitimate vs illegitimate business click here 

For a discussion on giving what you have click here.

For a discussion on diligence vs being undiciplined click here

For a discussion on resting in God click here

For a discussion on whether competition is good or bad click here

For a further discussion on diligence click here

For a discussion on what is more important, great effort or great faith, click here

For a discussion on the fallacy of the health and wealth gospel click here.

For a discussion of what exactly is money/currency click here.

For a discussion how faith is hard work click here.

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¹And as we mature, our walk with God should strengthen so this becomes a more consistent and common part of our life, not less common.

²Whatever you have, no matter how much or how little, use it with all the faith, strength, and energy God gives you for his glory.

Work out your own salvation

Because our lack of humility and our inclination to be our own god has continued since our initial rebellion in Eden, everything we do tends to be performance-based i.e. We are naturally inclined to take everything that God says - His directions or commandments - and turn them into a way of earning God's acceptance. 

Why? 

We must counter our sense of inadequacy that resulted from our abandoning God and prove our worth because we are no longer connected to the Source of life and meaning i.e. we are missing what we were designed to partake of; the beautiful, all wise and loving God. 

Since our identity and sense of worth is designed to come from God, without him we seek to regain our sense of worth and identity apart from him. 

We no longer do things to honor God but to try to "save ourselves" by doing "good deeds."

True humility recognizes I can't (and never will) obey God perfectly by my natural strength, i.e., simply willing it. God must be the energy and driving force behind my actions. I must recognize my weakness in living as God intends before I can be strong (in His strength).

"Therefore, my beloved... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." - Phil 2:12-13

This passage does not say work for your salvation but work out your salvation that is already yours i.e. live out who you fully are - who God has made you to be in and through Christ - i.e. act as someone who is perfectly righteous because of Christ's efforts on your behalf, not as someone trying desperately to make yourself righteous to win the acceptance and approval of others... starting with God.

Who we are in Christ ("our own salvation") is what gives us the will (desire) and power to live for God's pleasure. But we must fully believe and embrace what God declares about us if we are to experience His strength in and through us.

For a further discussion on the difference between being righteous and living righteously, click here.

For a discussion on the difference between being spirit-driven vs works-driven click here.

For a discussion on being loved, vs experiencing his love click here.

For a discussion on becoming who we already are in Christ click here.

The central theme of the beatitudes?

Virtually everyone agrees that the "sermon on the mount" is the most significant compilation of Christ's teachings in one message.

Prayer - the "Lords prayer" - happens to be at the ¹center of this sermon. Was this intentional?

Could it be that prayer is central (in theme as well as ¹structurally) to this compilation of Christ's teachings?

Isn't prayer the greatest expression and indication of humility? 

And isn't humility the main disposition needed to know and walk with God? 

Isn't knowing and experiencing God ²most, based on our disposition or posture of humility before Him?

What does scripture say?

"God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" is a main refrain in the Bible. The importance of humility (or lack of it) is a theme woven throughout virtually every story in the Bible from beginning to end and for good reason - a critical reason. We will not and can not truly know God without it.

Buying into the lie that we can be our own god was the first step in the opposite direction, away from humility and the path humanity has been on since. As a result, everything has come unglued.

If you (we) want to know the level of your (our) humility, look at the significance of prayer in your life. How big a role does it play? 

The more humble you are, the more you will pray. The less you pray the less humble you are. 

The more humble we are the more we experience God's grace and love. Praying without ceasing may be the best indication of the deepest humility.

For a discussion of the humility of Christ click here. 

For a further discussion of the humility of Christ click here. 
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¹Christ's starting the sermon with "blessed are the poor in spirit" - i.e. the humble - is not without good reason. For a further discussion, click here.

²and chronologically

Matt
5:2-48
6:1-34 (The Lord's prayer 9-15)
7:1-27

The sermon consists of 108 total verses making verse 54 the halfway point structurally.

The subject of prayer starts at verse 55 and ends at verse 64 with 44 verses following. Of course, there were no chapters or verses in the original text but this helps us see that prayer is near the structural and grammatical center of the entire sermon as well as central to the sermon's theme.